Seeking the Shadow
by Reveric Tigeress
Summary: After Riddick left them, Jack waited for him to change his mind and return. She decides to find him when she realizes he was never coming back. This is Jack's story. How did Jack die? How was Kyra born? You're going to have to find out. R&R please!
1. Default Chapter

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Jack or anything that has anything to do with Chronicles of Riddick, Pitch Black or Dark fury**.  
_  
** Section One: A year later**  
  
Prologue  
  
No way was she going to stay for long. She waited...hoping he would change his mind and come back for her but no. He just left without saying goodbye...unless you took "Tell them I'm dead" or "Get the fuck off of this ship" as a goodbye. She was tired of waiting now. Helion was not a place for here to rot away in. Sure, Imam was a nice guy but he wasn't Riddick.   
  
Riddick...  
  
She idolized him. She wanted to be him or that's what she told herself at first. After a year of separation she knew she couldn't stand to be away from him. So she finally went for it. She was going to find him.   
  
"Jack. You know it's dangerous." Imam told her as sternly as he could.  
  
"I can handle it." Jack muttered trying to convince herself that she could.  
  
"I cannot not stop you." Imam sighed. "You are a child but I know you would find some way to leave even if I locked you in your room."  
  
"I've gotta find him." Jack picked up a bag of her clothes and food. "Don't worry. I'm strong too." She wished that that was the truth. Without another word, she left never to see the holy man again. 


	2. Mercs

** Section One: A year later**  
  
Mercs  
  
Jack knew how he hated them. She knew how angry he'd be if he ever found out but this was the only way to find him, right? The real challenge was actually finding a group of Mercs who would take a kid along. As she traveled through the streets of a city she had never seen before, she contemplated this question over and over. She walked pass two men speaking in low voices but she heard every word they said.  
  
"I heard Tryc's looking for some kids." One muttered.  
  
"What use could they be on a job?" The other shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"Well this job is one that needs kids."  
  
"Is that so? What is it?"  
  
"Not too sure, but Tryc is willing to train any kid who's willing to go along." The first one shifted his eyes. "They say he's staying at the pub." Upon hearing that, Jack ran to find the pub. Since it was evening, it wasn't too hard to find. She slipped in unnoticed searching around for this Tryc person. Her eyes fell on a large, bearded man with two large front teeth and a tangled heap of hair. She approached him cautiously and cleared her throat.  
  
"Are you Tryc?" She inquired trying to lock eyes with the man.  
  
"I'm Triit. I'm his brother." The man answered in a booming voice. "And his name is pronounced like 'trick' not 'trike'. So we're Tryc and Triit. Get it? Tryc or Triit?" Jack rolled her eyes.  
  
"The name's Jack. I heard he was looking for some recruits." Jack tried to look as casual as possible.  
  
"Ah...I see." Triit smiled showing off his buckteeth. "I'll take ya too him." He stood his full length of six feet and led her to a back room. A thin man with a hooked nose and a long scar running through his eye glowered at her.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" He bellowed obviously drunk.  
  
"J-jack." She stuttered. "I heard you were looking for kids...for a job."  
  
"A job?" Tryc's face went blank for a moment before everything processed in his head he smiled. "Oh yeah! Job! That's right, Jack. Well then, you got any skills?"  
  
"Uh...not really." Jack lowered her eyes to the ground. The way Tryc was looking at her made her feel nervous.  
  
"I dunno about this one Tryc." Triit casted Jack a glance. "This one's scrawny."  
  
"They're easier to train that way." Tryc laughed. "Alright listen up, kid! We'll take you with us to Thorium. You know where that is?"  
  
"No." Jack felt oddly ignorant for the first time.  
  
"It's a place where it's always thundering and lightning. Come back here tomorrow and we'll bring ya to the ship. Now get the fuck out of my sight." With that said, he took a swig out of a bottle and Triit led Jack out of the room. He gave her a pat on the shoulder, which made her stumble forward.  
  
"Welcome to the crew, Jack." Triit smiled. Scary as he looked...those buck teeth took away everything that made him intimidating.  
  
"Thanks." Jack smiled for the first time. She was closer to finding him.

...................................................................................................................................................................................  
  
Jack ran to the pub the next morning and found Triit carrying a sleeping Tryc on his shoulder.  
  
"He's still sleeping it off." Triit explained. "I'll take you to the ship." Jack followed the large man for a good hour. The came upon a ship no bigger than the one Riddick left with. As she stepped into it she took in the smell of sour milk and wrinkled her nose.  
  
"Yeah it's a nice ship." Triit grinned. Jack had a strong feeling that he was a little on the slow side. He dropped Tryc to the floor and sat at the front of the ship. The ship rumbled as he pushed a few buttons. "You might want to buckle up." Jack sat down and barely attached her seatbelt before the ship was moving. She was a bit frightened to see how someone like Triit would pilot. To her surprise, he handled the ship well and got them off and running pretty quick.  
  
"How long are we flying?" Jack asked gazing at the abundance of stars.  
  
"Two weeks." was the reply.  
  
"What are we supposed to do in two weeks?" Jack demanded.  
  
"Tryc will train you for Thorium. You have to be able to protect yourself." Triit put the ship on autopilot and walked toward Tryc. "Alright, big brother. It's time to wake up." He took out a flask and poured it on Tryc's face so that he jerked up from his sleep.  
  
"What!?!" Tryc's good eye flashed with rage. "What do ya want!?!" He growled.  
  
"We're off now. We got the kid." Triit murmured. "Shouldn't we be prepping her or something?"  
  
"You fucking retard!" Tryc glared at his brother before he caught the sight of Jack. "Alright kid." He heaved himself up and squinted at her. "We'll teach ya the basics. Triit always wants the kids to be prepared to fight off any threat."  
  
"Oh..." Jack just stared at him as he took out a knife.   
  
"This is yours. For the next two weeks you're gonna learn how to fight like real mercenaries do." Tryc tossed her the blade.  
  
"Th-thanks..." Jack nearly dropped the knife, which resulted in two cuts on her hand.  
  
"You'll have to work on that." Tryc laughed as Triit went back to his seat.

The two weeks flew by quickly as Jack learned knifing techniques. Although they were good, they were noting compared to Riddick's skills. All Jack could do was hope that she would someday be as skilled as her hero. As the ship headed toward the surface of Thorium, the ship shook violently as lightning struck it. Jack jerked forward only to be pushed back by her seatbelt.  
  
"What the hell..." She muttered glancing about.  
  
"Looks like we ran into a storm." Tryc cackled maniacally. Jack shifted in her seat feeling discomfort from Tryc's reaction. Triit grit his teeth and dodged a bolt of lightning.  
  
"Hold on to your hats fellas!" He cried as the ship shot down weaving in different directions to avoid each bolt.  
  
"Shit!" Jack cried as another one hit them. The sound of thunder roaring in her ears. "Riddick.." No one could hear her whisper his name as they hit the ground with a metallic screech. As it came to a halt, silence held the darkened ship until Jack remembered to exhale.  
  
"We're here.." Triit coughed as he unbuckled his seatbelt.  
  
"Nice job, Shit-for-brains!" Tryc shouted as he stood from his seat. "Let's get out of here."  
  
They left the ship in rubber suits running as fast as they could. The lightning struck every ten seconds giving them a chance to rest every once in a while. Jack stumbled over a rock and rolled into a pit. The brothers followed her with solemn expressions as Triit hit her in the back of the head with a gun. The last thing she heard was Triit apologizing as she lost consciousness.

...................................................................................................................................................................................  
  
The sound of thunder pounded in her ears as she awoke from her slumber. Although she was blindfolded, she could tell that she was being carried over Triit's shoulder. It was not only the stench that told her but the fact that she was hung over the shoulder and bouncing her head off of his chest was a definite indication. What surprised her was her allowing herself to groan out loud. Her head hurt like hell. She could feel Triit stop shortly thus causing her to slam her head against his ribcage.  
  
"Shit, Triit! What the hell are you doing!" She cried irritably.  
  
"Sorry, Jack." She could her the sincerity of his voice. Sometimes it was hard to hate him.  
  
"Just be gentle, okay?" Her voice dropped down to a gentle whisper. She suspected Tryc to be around and she sure as hell wasn't going to show any weakness in his presence.  
  
"Sure thing." Triit whispered back. "Uh...hey...why do you call yourself Jack?"  
  
"What?" Could he possibly know she was a girl? Was she that bad at hiding it?  
  
"Triit stop whispering, you shit head!" Tryc's voice broke through their conversation.  
  
"Sorry..." Triit muttered.  
  
"What the hell are you talking to anyway? That kid?" Tryc laughed. "Trying to make a friend with the cargo! By the end of this, Triit, he's going to hate you."  
  
"Tryc...I don't really want to do this." Triit mumbled.  
  
"You shut the fuck up! I'm the brain of this mission." Tryc shouted. Triit made no response. They just walked on in silence. Jack felt bad for him.  
  
"Don't listen to him." Jack would have patted him on the shoulder but with her hands bonded together, it was clear that wasn't going to happen. "You're batter then this." Triit said nothing but she could feel him walking a bit taller than usual. A smile crept on her lips. She knew it wasn't very Riddick like but just this once it didn't matter, right? There wasn't much else to do so she let her tired body fall into a state of somnolence.

...................................................................................................................................................................................  
  
Jack opened her eyes to the blinding light of the sun. She squinted at a mountain in front of her. What caught her attention was the figure on the top. Although it was hard to see clearly she knew it was him. The same bald head, that black outfit, those goggles. She started to climb the mountain under the heat of the sun. She could feel the stone beneath her fingers cut into her hand but she didn't care. Each time she slipped she continued on. She had to reach him. There was so much to say. It seemed like hours passed by when she finally reached the top and her heart dropped. No one was there. Nothing was there. Just a thirteen year old girl with a broken pride stood there. A pair of yellow goggles with a broken lens rest on top of her bald head.   
  
"Face it, Jack. He left and he's never coming back." The girl said. Her large eyes staring as if peeking into her soul. Jack took a step back and in doing so, she lost her balance. As she fell from the mountain tears seemed to form in her eyes.  
  
"RIDDICK!" She cried out before she hit the ground. That was when she awoke from her sleep.  
  
"Are you okay?" Triit's whisper came through the darkness.  
  
"What happened?" Jack panted.  
  
"I think you had a bad dream. Tryc's sleeping right now so it's okay to talk." Jack could sense that this guy wanted to talk so she decided to humor him but what that girl said...that girl was her...yet her staring eyes scared her. She wondered if it was possible to be afraid of your own self. "I know you're not a boy but Tryc doesn't."  
  
"How do you know?" Jack was curious. Maybe he knew like Riddick.  
  
"You may look and act like one but I can read your thoughts." Triit lowered his voice as if a secret was being made. "I even saw your dream."  
  
"Don't tell Tryc I'm a girl." That was all she could manage to say. It was hard to believe someone like him could read minds...he was kind of slow but…Oh no! What if he could? He knew that she thought him dumb.  
  
"It's okay." Triit had read her fear. "I have to act dumb. I know it's odd to obey Tryc's orders but he's all I have left. I'm tired, Jack."  
  
"How is this possible?" she inquired still a bit doubtful.  
  
"I'm what people call a freak of nature. No one knows how. Little do they know...it's hereditary" Triit smiled. "Tryc wasn't blessed with this."  
  
"Was it your mother or your father?" Jack wasn't afraid to show her interest. He'd know anyway so there was no use hiding.  
  
"Like hell it was my father!" Triit chuckled. "You see, in order to master it, you have to have a calm nature about yourself. Tryc could never do that."  
  
"Triit...what's going to happen to me?" Jack had remembered Tryc saying something about cargo.  
  
"We're trading you to slavers..." Triit spoke almost inaudibly but Jack understood it. She half anticipated it. She just needed to hear it.  
  
"Damn…"What else could she say?  
  
"It's nothing personal. We...needed the money. I'm sick of this shit." Triit sighed.  
  
"Then why bother doing it?" Jack's voice became thick with emotion. She didn't want to be a slave.  
  
"I love my brother but I know he would not hesitate to kill me if I opposed him." There was a kind of sadness in his voice. "I can not bear the pain of my own flesh and blood killing me. The Physical pain would never match up to that of my heart. I cannot betray someone I care for."  
  
"So why do you bother befriending me?" Jack was angry. Her body shook with her rage.  
  
"Because I know you'll make it." Jack could not see Triit smile. She just sensed it in his voice. "And I know that if I see you again...I want it to be on good terms."  
  
"Is that so?" Jack wanted to believe it. "Isn't it kind of like betrayal though? You befriending me only to ship me off to some slavers."  
  
"It is indeed. Jack...I'm only a child." Triit breathed.  
  
"You consider thirty a child?" Jack mused.  
  
"I'm fifteen."  
  
"You're shitting me."  
  
"My race ages quickly in childhood and the aging process slows when we reach a certain age. I have stopped aging."  
  
"That's a tad bit creepy." Jack tried to smile but nothing came.  
  
"Look...I want to see you again. Promise me you'll survive." Jack could sense the child-like plea now. It all started to make sense.  
  
"What makes you think I won't kill you when I see you?" Jack Inquired in a monotone voice.  
  
"If you kill me. Then I'll accept it. I just want to see you again." Triit mumbled.  
  
"Triit...why are you doing this?" Jack wanted to cry.  
  
"You want to become stronger. These situations make it that way, right?" Triit tried to chuckle.  
  
"Now you're making excuses." Jack sighed. "You're trying to cover you ass."  
  
"F-forgive me..." Triit stammered.  
  
"Triit, you're scary looking. It's heard for me to think you any younger than you look. Which means it's difficult to believe you. Bearded men with uncombed hair don't cut it for chicks." With that said, Jack rolled over and tried to get to sleep. She heard Triit move from his seat and walk off.

...................................................................................................................................................................................  
  
"I still don't know why you insist on taking the blindfold off." Tryc growled as they wandered through the underground of the cavern. The rumble of thunder rolled above them.  
  
"Well-uh...I figured that if she escaped...this would make it easier for her." Triit stuttered.  
  
"You saying you want her to escape?" Tryc swiveled to face his taller brother.  
  
"You get paid either way. What does it matter? Triit muttered.  
  
"Hmph...what's the shaved look anyway?" Tryc turned to continue the walk. Triit had indeed removed his beard and his hair. Jack noted that he did look a great deal younger though nothing close to fifteen. She wanted to believe that he was younger...it made it easier when someone around your age was there to talk to but Riddick was the one she wanted to talk to the most.  
  
"I don't want to look like an old man like you." Triit smirked.  
  
"I'm twenty-eight!" Tryc roared. "A kid like you would be grateful to be as wise as I am at this age." Jack could see Triit struggle not to laugh. She was glad Tryc had his back turned to him.  
  
"So how long is it until you trade this cargo over?" Jack inquired. Tryc snapped his head to glare at Triit with his good eye.  
  
"You told her?" A vein twitched on his neck. Jack didn't want to give Triit away.  
  
"I found out all by myself!" She cried out quickly. "You made it obvious when you said 'Trying to make friends with the cargo' Maybe you should consider how dumb you are before you point the finger!" Jack received a smack from Tryc.   
  
"You better learn when to shut up." Tryc hissed. "I may consider selling you to a woman slaver. They hate punk ass boys like you. They'll make your life a living hell."  
  
"Go ahead. No chick scares me!" Jack snarled catching Triit's knowing smirk out of the corner of her eyes.  
  
"You just gave yourself the death sentence." Tryc laughed as he continued further down the cavern. "We'll reach the market in three hours. Look sharp, boy."


	3. The Challenge in the Market

** Section one: A Year Later**  
  
The Challenge in the Market  
  
Jack stood on a stage as crowds of people passed by. Some would stop and look her over. She would receive a poke here and a prod there. Deep down inside she prayed for Riddick to suddenly appear and save her from this humiliating experience. No…he would not come. Only pure luck would bring him to her and luck seemed to spite her.   
  
"You're in one hell of a mess, Jack B. Bad..." She muttered before she pondered about that name. It wasn't even her real name...it was, in fact, Audrey. So, of course she changed it to Jack. Yes...she had made that name up when she had first stepped on that ship, the Hunter-Gratzner. That was where she had first met him...actually she first met him after they had crashed on that planet. She frowned at the memory of all those people dying. Fry...Carolyn of all the people who shouldn't have died. Jack could sense Riddick's pain. Somehow, she felt it. Jack closed her eyes and puffed out a sigh.  
  
"Bored already?" Tryc sneered. "Perhaps we should sign you up for the challenge."  
  
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jack demanded gritting her teeth.  
  
"Brother..." Triit approached Tryc. "I don't think he could make it."  
  
"That's the point. Let's teach him a lesson." Tryc's grin broadened.  
  
"I don't th-" Triit was interrupted by Tryc's glare.  
  
"Remember who you're with. This kid is our cargo. You are my partner. So I suggest you shut the fuck up." Tryc screamed so ferociously, spit sprayed his taller brother.  
  
"I'm sorry." Triit backed down once again to his brother's demands.  
  
"Now sign her up for the challenge." Tryc ordered as he turned to walk to the end of the stage.  
  
"Please forgive me, Jack." Triit whispered walking by her to leave the stage. Jack was pretty sure she wasn't going to like what this "challenge" was. Well, she was alone now. Had she not been chained to the stage she would have made an escape or at least an attempt at one. The best she could do to relieve herself from boredom was to study her surroundings. The market was inside the belly of a cavern lit by torches. The other slaves were varied from young to old, frail to burly, scared to untouched. There were different races of both genders. Some struggled and others accepted their fate but one thing was clear. There was no one who had goggles or eyes that helped them see in the dark. Jack looked at the slavers who inspected each slave. They, too, differed from each other but they all had one thing in common. Freedom to buy slaves. Jack wrinkled her nose and looked away from the crowd. It was at that time that Triit returned with a grim expression on his face.  
  
"Jack...you act as if you are a survivor. Let's hope that you are." He whispered.  
  
..................................................................................................................................................  
  
"I hate the both of you! I hope you die the most painful death ever imaginable!" Jack screamed at the brothers over the roaring thunder as they stood at the entrance of the cavern,  
  
"I say it gives you a chance to shake off this enslaving fate." Tryc smiled evilly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Though she was quite curious, her glare never wavered.  
  
"Anyone who passes this challenge is a free man." Tryc shrugged matter-of-factly. "Which means…" He gestured her to finish the sentence."  
  
"If I survive this, then I won't be a slave." Jack set her eyes outside of the cave. A bunch of other slaves were facing the challenge. "So tell me, what is the challenge?"  
  
"You're going to be running out there. There is a mercenary ship at the far end. If you can make it to the ship, then you will become and automatic crew." Triit explained.  
  
"And what do you get out of this?" Jack quirked a brow. "I find it hard to believe that you would risk losing your 'cargo' without benefiting in some way."  
  
"You're right." Tryc's smile never left his face. "I sold you to the master of this game. You are like a racehorse. They pay good money for the young ones. It means they have more energy."  
  
"Enjoy your pay." Jack hissed. "I will come for you." She made a gesture as if she were slitting her throat. "To give you the payment you deserve." Tryc's response was laughter. Triit furrowed his brows and mouthed "Good luck" before she was dragged to off to her position for the race. Her chains were removed and she was pushed outside of the cave. The firing of a gunshot signaled her to start running and running is just what she did. Triit called out her name and she slowed her pace to hear what he had to say. A bolt of lightning would have hit her but she tripped thus she was safe for then. Jack scrambled up and ran onward avoiding bolts of lightning.   
  
"Sorry, Triit." She mumbled. "I can't talk to you in this position." It didn't take long for her to learn that listening to the rumble of the thunder aided her in keeping clear of the lightning. The thunder drowned out the cheers of those who looked on. The benefit of the storm was the flashing helped her to see the ship ahead. One man pushed he down to slow her down so that he would reach the ship first. Unfortunately a burst of karma punished him with a strike form the lightning. That was when Jack learned how strong it was. The man was singed in an instant. Jack swallowed hard and pushed herself up off the ground to continue her travel. When she arrived to the safety of the ship she was out of breath and wheezing. The ship was odd looking but it didn't really matter to her. She was free. Or so she thought. Her eyes shot back to the cavern where she saw Triit trying to capture her attention. He was so far away so it was impossible to here him especially over the thunder's murmur. Something about his frantic waving made her a tad bit nervous and she found out why as she turned to the owners of the ship. She felt the blood drain from her face as she saw tow men stitched by the limbs so they were back to back. What frightened her the most were their eyes. It looked as though daggers had poked them out. She had heard stories of these kinds of people known as Rykengolls. Tryc had deceived her yet again and Triit was trying to warn her. Before she could run away, the Rykengoll took a hold of her and brought her on to the ship. Jack cried out but no one could hear her or they did not want to. Only Triit listened but what could he do? The storm was getting worse and Tryc was keeping an eye on him.  
  
"C'mon, Triit." Tryc turned to return to the cavern. "It's time we get back on the ship."  
  
"Yeah..."Triit looked longingly at the Rykengoll ship as it started to take off as he whispered under her breath. "Please, Jack...survive through this..."  
  
.................................................................................................................................................  
  
Jack sat in a cell on the ship with her head in her hands. She was mad...enraged. Mad at Tryc for obvious reasons. Yet enraged with herself for her behavior to Triit, for falling into this trap that was set up. She knew she should have suspected something. Tryc was certainly named well.  
  
"You seem distraught." A female voice whispered to her. Jack lifted her head up and studied her cellmate. A red-haired girl with ice blue eyes sort of smiled at her. Jack took note that she looked about her age and thought that she would trust her for now.  
  
"I see you're a quick one..." She couldn't help but be sarcastic.  
  
"What's the problem?" The girl ignored Jack's attitude which took her aback.  
  
"I-uh...isn't it obvious?" Jack stammered.  
  
"True...I was just hoping there was something more to it." The girl sighed. "I wanted to be a psychologist and I figured I could help you through your problems."  
  
"You're an odd one." Jack muttered.  
  
"Sorry if I weird you out." The girl laughed. "My name is Alxia."  
  
"Alxia...alright." Jack sighed. "Why are you here?"  
  
"To be part of the Rykengoll cult, you need to be stitched to another person." Alxia scratched her scalp to think harder. "If I'm not wrong…I think we're going to be Siamese twins."  
  
"But I don't look like you." Jack blinked her eyes.  
  
"You don't have to look like someone to be a twin!" Alxia snapped with some laughter in her voice. "I like you-uh...I didn't quite catch your name."  
  
"Jack."  
  
"Oh! Ahahahahaha! I must apologize. I thought you were a girl."  
  
"I am..."  
  
"Shit...this is a rough start."  
  
"I enjoy seeing you stumble over yourself." Jack smiled for the first time since she was captured.  
  
"Well at least we're getting somewhere, eh?" Alxia took a hold of her hand and shook it firmly.  
  
"I'm sure I'd enjoy getting to know you but being stitched to you doesn't exactly appeal to me."  
  
"I agree." Alxia sighed. "We'll let's make a pact!"  
  
"A pact?" Jack was tried not to look interested but her voice gave it all away.  
  
"Yes! Let's promise that we'll escape together so we can become the best of friends" Alxia spoke with passion. Jack's eyebrow twitched.  
  
"A little on the sappy side, aren't we?" Jack spoke in that monotonous voice.  
  
"Jack! Come on!" Alxia pleaded with her eyes.  
  
"Fine fine!" Jack laughed and held out her hand. "I promise!" Alxia took her hand and pulled her into a hug. Jack cocked her head to the side and smiled a lopsided smile.  
  
"You've made me the happiest!" Alxia cried with joy in her expression. Jack expected this year to be the longest year of her life. 


	4. Frienship and Torture

** Section One: A Year Later**  
  
Friendship and Torture  
  
Jack climbed up that familiar mountain with more determination before. This time, she'd get some answers. But just like before, Riddick was not there. Only the other girl who looked like her.  
  
"Who are you?" She demanded.  
  
"Jack...I am you." The girl replied with the same lost look in her green eyes.  
  
"How can you be me?"  
  
"Simple...I'm the doubt. The fear. I'm your subconscious. I am the part of you that knows that Riddick will not return to us."  
  
"He's gotta come back." Jack murmured.  
  
"Stop being naïve." The other Jack sighed.  
  
"I am not arguing with myself." Jack looked away.  
  
"Then who are you talking to?" When she looked back, the other Jack was gone. In the distance she could see the form of the man she looked up to. She started to run toward him only to be pulled back by chains. She fell back with a grunt and stared longingly at Riddick.  
  
"Riddick! Can't you hear me!?!" She cried out trying to keep her tears in check. "I miss you..."  
  
He turned to her and seemed to stare for a time that seemed to last forever yet end too soon. He started to walk toward her but the distance between them never decreased. Jack reached her hand out for him and sobbed. "Why can't you save me?"  
  
................................................................................................................................................

Jack sat up with a gasp shaking the bunk bed that she laid on and almost hitting her head on the ceiling. Another dream. It never felt that way when she was in it.  
  
"Who's Riddick?" Alxia's voice pierced the darkness from underneath Jack.  
  
"Riddick..." The only word she could speak. The rest were stuck in her throat.  
  
"Someone you cared about..." Alxia simply found out with her silence.  
  
"Where'd you hear his name?" Jack whispered.  
  
"You talk in your sleep, Jack." Jack could feel Alxia roll to her side under her. "I was on a search to find someone, too..."  
  
"Who?" Jack fell to rest on her side and inched closer to the edge.  
  
"My mother. She was...abducted." Alxia's voice was muffled. From this Jack determined that she had placed her face on her pillow.  
  
"He left me...I was tired of waiting." Jack stared at the dark space. What would Riddick see if he was where she was.  
  
"Boyfriend?" Alxia shifted again.  
  
"Hero." The pitch in Jack's voice became higher.  
  
"Hurts, doesn't it?" Alxia sniffed.  
  
"What?" Jack tilted her head to the side.  
  
"Not knowing where he is or why he disappeared." Alxia replied.  
  
"We're in a similar boat, Alxia." Jack closed her eyes.  
  
"I know. Basically abandoned in some way or another." Alxia chuckled bitterly.  
  
"Yeah…everyone leaves me." Jack stared at the wall.  
  
"I won't leave you. People with the same pain understand each other." She seemed to be struggling with trying to sound happy. "I know we just met but I feel like I know you."  
  
"Can you keep a secret?" Jack felt Alxia's body stiffen by the stillness of the bunk under her.  
  
"Yeah." Alxia breathed.  
  
"I feel like I know you, too." Jack's voice lowered to the softest whisper. It was odd for her to open up to someone but there was something in Alxia she could trust. The fact that they shared a similar pain made everything a bit better somehow.   
  
"I bet he will come back for you." Alxia's voice became thick with emotion.  
  
"And we'll find your mother." Jack knew as well as Alxia that these were hopes that could very well not come true but they still believed in it.   
  
................................................................................................................................................   
  
"Blood buddies?" Jack inquired skeptically.  
  
"Yeah. It bonds us to be the closest." Alxia smiled looking underneath the bunk bed for something sharp. Jack smirked.  
  
"Well we'll be pretty close when they stitch us together." Jack mused.  
  
"That's not funny." Alxia grumbled before sneezing.  
  
"I doubt they'd keep anything sharp in here." Jack shook her head.  
  
"Ye of little faith!" Alxia pulled herself from under the bed. "Found something!"  
  
"What?" Jack turned to her quickly.  
  
"A nail!" Alxia held up her newfound treasure.  
  
"That's hardly sanitary." Jack quirked a brow.  
  
"Geez! I thought you wanted to be like Riddick. I doubt he worried about the cleanliness of items he found." Alxia stood from her dusty seat and turned the nail over on her fingertips.  
  
"Riddick didn't cut himself with a nail to become blood buddies with a crazy redhead." Jack countered.  
  
"Ouch! Leave the hair out of this!" Alxia frowned. "Look, if I had something clean, I'd use it."  
  
"Look, Masochism wasn't one of my strong points." Jack shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"I'm not some sicko who gets off on pain!" Alxia wailed. "Come on Jack. You're not afraid of a little slice, are you?"  
  
"No! I just don't you to faint at the sight of your blood."  
  
"I promise you I will be fine." Alxia grimaces as she ran the pointed end of the nail across her palm.   
  
"A prick on the thumb would have been less painful." Jack sniffed as she ran the nail across her own palm. Both girls grasped their cut hands together and simpered. "This is going to sting like hell tomorrow."  
  
"We feel each other's pain both literally and emotionally." Alxia offered.  
  
"You need to learn when to shut up about that kind of shit." Jack sneered.  
  
"Now Jack." Alxia put on her serious face. "Be careful. You might just hurt my feelings."  
  
"No...I wouldn't want to do that." Jack and Alxia giggled.  
  
"You know..." Alxia pulled her hand back and started to wrap a piece ripped cloth around her cut. "We should have reached the Kovan Sector by now."  
  
"Does it worry you?" Jack inspected her slash and glanced at Alxia's pale face.  
  
"Course it does. I want to get out of here."  
  
"So we can get our eyes stabbed out?"  
  
"So we can make our escape."  
  
"Have any plans for that?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Excellent! We're sure to get out alive and unscathed!" Jack cried sarcastically.  
  
"Never fear, my cynical friend. We'll find a way." Alxia played the positive role again.  
  
"Why did I ever allow you to cut me up so that your dirty blood would run through my veins?"  
  
"Because you're lonely and you love me."  
  
"You're right...I am lonely. I guess that's how desperation works."  
  
"Hey! You gotta chill on the insults."  
  
"I thought you were a masochist."  
  
"Hahaha. That's so funny!" Alxia muttered,  
  
"Goodness gracious, Alxia." Jack feigned ignorance. "Was that sarcasm?"  
  
"It's contagious." Alxia smirked.  
  
"Wherever did you get it from?" Jack blinked innocently. Both girls broke into giggles.  
  
................................................................................................................................................  
  
Jack was torn from her slumber as a Rykengoll pulled her from her place on the top bunk. She was still groggy when her feet hit the floor but Alxia's stifled scream woke her up.  
  
"Alxia!" Jack snapped her head to catch a glimpse of her friend before she was pulled around the corner of the hall. "What the fuck is going on?" She demanded as the Rykengoll dragged her along.  
  
"We have arrived..." The raspy voice of the Rykengoll spoke.  
  
"Where?" The lack of response ran a chill up her spine. The next thing she knew it, she was pushed into a room and chained to the wall. Alxia stood beside her with her chains clasped around her limbs.  
  
"This doesn't look good." Alxia's weak smile failed at hiding her fear.  
  
"Don't let 'em get the best of you!" Jack barked. The next few hours contained anguish and tears. Jacks own pain was not the worst of it. She couldn't stand hearing Alexia's cries and witnessing her torture. Never had she felt so much contempt toward the Rykengolls. She knew she couldn't be broken. She'd rather die then give them the satisfaction of breaking her. But Alxia. Seeing her blood, her tears, and her pain. Jack felt a weight of guilt crushing her lungs. She choked on tears as she squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
"Please...stop..." She whimpered. "We'll do anything..." As they were brought back to their cell and thrown to the floor, Jack could feel a throbbing all over her body. Many words came to her head. Knives, bruises, cuts, whips, weights, suffocation but the worst word that came to her mind was the one thing that stripped of her dignity and innocence...rape. All of her injuries could not match up to the destruction of her chastity. Alxia was curled up on the floor with ragged sobs shuttering through her body. Though she ached, Jack pulled herself closer to her once whole and happy companion.  
  
"Alxia..." Her voice box felt shattered and the sound of it made her feel like an old woman.  
  
"I'm sorry Jack. I wasn't strong." Alxia wept. "I couldn't figure out how to escape. I acted like a baby. I let them hurt you."  
  
"Shut up!" Jack winced as the pain of her throat strangled her yelling. "I was in the same position as you. We share each other's pain, remember?"  
  
"Jack...We gotta get out of here." Alxia whispered.  
  
"We will." Jack curled her hands into fists. "We made a promise, right."  
  
"Yeah." Alxia sniveled with a small smile. "We did."  
  
"Let's try to sleep this whole situation off." Jack suggested helping Alxia to her feet. "We'll figure something out tomorrow."  
  
"Then we'll find the ones we care for." Jack hated how Alxia's voice trembled through her tears.  
  
"Yeah! Definitely!" Jack felt odd having to pretend to be composed. All she wanted to do was cry like a child but as long as Alxia was broken, Jack felt that she had to be the level headed one. Alxia leaned on her as Jack helped her into bed. Then, with great effort, Jack bit through her pain and climbed the bunk bed to her spot. It was hard to sleep with Alxia whimpering. Jack couldn't blame her for being that way. She wanted to do that same thing but she had to be strong for Alxia if not for herself. Something inside her had snapped and as she stared into the darkness of the room she felt her fingertips itch. She wanted blood. She suddenly discovered what it was she had to do.  
  
................................................................................................................................................  
  
She was awake when they came again but this time she was hidden in the shadows of a corner. That was when she noticed the train of daggers that trailed behind them. Of course...they needed those to blind one another. Jack picked a dagger up and pulled it from the others. She did this so gently that they never noticed. The dagger was hidden in her sleeve as the Rykengolls reached for her. Although it was one figure, there were two men stitched together. Jack shuddered at the sight.  
  
"What are you doing, girl?" One asked.  
  
"I could not sleep so I waited." She answered bitterly.  
  
"Ah...anticipating your next visit to the chamber." The Rykengoll sneered.  
  
"Why yes." Jack smiled with a glint in her eye. Nothing that they could see for they were blind.  
  
"Get the other girl up." The other ordered. Alxia put up quite a struggle for she did not want to go back. They would bring more Rykengolls if Jack didn't do something.  
  
"Alxia...Calm down..." There was an edge to Jack's voice that Alxia had never heard before. She became still and stared at her solemn friend.  
  
"Let's move along." The Rykengolls said at once as they led Alxia and Jack out of their cell. Once they were down a narrow hallway, Jack pulled the dagger from her sleeve and stabbed the Rykengolls. Twice on each side. They let out a cry of surprise and pain. Alxia's eyes widened as Jack took a hold of her arm and started to run.  
  
"We've got to find a way out of here." She hissed to Alxia.  
  
"Jack. You've changed." Alxia whispered.  
  
"Someone has to be strong." Jack looked ahead and pursed her lips. "Okay...I think there were only two Rykengoll on this ship...and I just killed one of 'em. We need to somehow detain the other one and fly this baby to a safer place."  
  
"What makes you think there are only two?" Alxia inquired.  
  
"Wishful thinking." Jack breathed. "But we need to find the other one."   
  
"He'd probably be waiting in that chamber." Alxia suggested.  
  
"Yeah. I think so too." Jack toyed the knife with her fingers. "There's two of us and kind of one of them. We can take this one down and free ourselves."  
  
"Alright, Jack..."Alxia set her eyes ahead. "Y'know...in a ship this big...I'd say there would be ten at the least."  
  
"How would we succeed in taking them down?" Jack whined.  
  
"Don't be stupid! Our cell wasn't the only cell that was full." Alxia growled.  
  
"Looks like the wheels in your head are finally turning." Jack smirked. "You're really worried about there being more than one left, huh?"  
  
"Well I don't want to think about what will happen if we lose to them." Alxia swallowed.  
  
"Yeah… Alright then. Let's find the keys on these guys and free the other prisoners." Jack knelt down and searched the dead bodies until she came upon a ring of keys. "Eight keys."  
  
"I hope there are more than eight people."  
  
"Well the two of us made one cell." Jack stood and started to walk toward the hall of cells.  
  
"So you're hoping they're all full of two people?" Alxia followed quickly.  
  
"Bingo." Jack stopped at one cell and peeked in. It was so dimly lit that it was hard to make out if anyone was there. "Hello?" Suddenly a hand shot out and squeezed around her neck. Jack couldn't breath, which led talking out of the question. She looked over to Alxia and gagged.  
  
"Let her go!" Alxia cried. "She's trying to help you escape!" After a moment or two, the hand released Jack. To both girls' surprise, a female voice responded.  
  
"Forgive me. I'm a little perturbed." The voice chuckled.  
  
"I'll get you out." Jack wheezed trying every key until she could open the cell.  
  
"Thanks!" another voice this time male spoke up. Jack and Alxia looked at each other.  
  
"I thought people were paired up with the same sex." Alxia blinked.  
  
"Well since me and Drude, here are real twins, it doesn't really matter." The woman said finally in the light. She tall. Almost Amazon tall. Her face was hard with years of tragedy, somehow Jack could tell. It was quite similar to Riddick's. Her twin on the other hand had a face like a child. Something about him retained that innocence that most have lost.  
  
"This is Alxia." Jack muttered as she walked to other cells keeping a fair distance to avoid another attack.  
  
"Call me Rayn." The woman smiled brushing a strand of black hair from her auburn eyes.  
  
"I still have trouble calling you that." Drude mumbled.  
  
"It isn't your real name?" Alxia wrinkled her forehead.  
  
"Shiroyn...does not exist anymore." Rayn smiled sadly.  
  
"Why would she not exist if you're clearly alive?" Alxia raised both brows.  
  
"It's almost poetic in a way." Jack uttered as she fiddled with the lock. "Something important in her is taken away and the thing that made her Shiroyn can never be returned thus the birth of Rayn."  
  
"How do you know this?" Alxia queried.  
  
"Cuz Jack just died yesterday." Jack whispered as she opened the barred doors allowing escape to the next to cellmates.  
  
"Then what shall we call you?" Rayn placed a hand on her hip with a smirk.  
  
"..." Jack tilted her head up in thought. "Just call me Kyra."  
  
"Kyra? A whole new animal, eh?" Rayn approached the younger girl and held her by the chin to lock eyes. "You go from cub to beast."  
  
"I guess so." Jack, now Kyra, pulled her head back and turned to the next cell. By the end of this, there were ten prisoners who were now escaped. Most were either mercs, convicts or assassins. Kyra held her dagger in two and squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
"This is going to be bloody." Kyra led them to the hall where the dead body of the Rykengoll laid. Before she could continue, Rayn pulled her back.  
  
"Something isn't right." She hissed in Kyra's ear.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Kyra shook Rayn's hand off of her shoulder.  
  
"The Rykengoll would notice a fallen member. His could be a trap." Rayn replied.  
  
"Ambush, actually." A voice from behind spoke and then a battle ensued. Kyra had never fought so viciously before it was as if a new name had made her a new person. She took note of Alxia's fighting style. It was all about kicks and punches like some karate shit. There was so much blood everywhere and the screams of both Rykengolls and prisoners rang clearly in her ear. Kyra took as step back as a Rykengoll ran toward her and gave him an uppercut with her dagger. Before her died she put her lips to his ear.  
  
"Can you see your God now?" She whispered. In the end, only five cellmates remained and all fifteen Rykengolls laid dead at their feet. Rayn held the dying body of her brother in her arms as Alxia cradled a wounded arm. The others looked to Kyra who seemed to be hurt the least. A cut ran along her collarbone but she seemed undaunted by it.  
  
"Can anyone fly this ship?" Kyra asked with no emotion in her voice.  
  
"I can. The name's Brick." He put an arm around her and quickly pulled it back when he only received a cold stare from Kyra.  
  
"I don't like being touched." She growled as she turned on her heels and walked down the hall.  
  
"I can't blame her." Alxia sighed. "When you've been abandoned by the one person you admire and you've betrayed by mostly men...it's easy to hate them."  
  
"I'll talk to her." Rayn placed the body of her brother down and stood up. "I know the feeling all too well." And without another word she was down the hall.  
  
................................................................................................................................................  
  
Rayn could hear Kyra retch as she approached the open cell she was in.  
  
"Not used to the smell of blood, eh?" Rayn stepped into the cell.  
  
"I didn't think it would smell so...so..." Kyra's voice trailed off.   
  
"Sweet." Rayn stood over Kyra as she coughed over a bin in the corner.  
  
"How could he stand it?" She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.  
  
"An Idol?" Rayn cocked her head to the side. "Drude was my idol. He was such a splendid fighter."  
  
"Your brother?" Kyra stood upright.  
  
"No...My father." Rayn leaned against the wall and gazed at the ceiling.  
  
"He taught me everything I knew. Then one day, he and mom had an argument and he upped and left. I blamed mom. I blamed myself. I felt everyone was at fault except for him."  
  
"Why do they leave?" Kyra sighed.  
  
"Different reasons. It's never your fault, kid. I'll take you under my wing until you, hero comes back...if he does." Rayn turned to leave before turning back. "Alxia seems quite concerned. Maybe you should go see her."  
  
"Why are you being nice to me?" Kyra looked up into her eyes.  
  
"Because you remind me so much of Drude."  
  
"Your father?"  
  
"No...My brother." Rayn grinned and left the cell leaving Kyra to her thoughts.  
  
"If he comes back..." She leaned up against the wall and rested her head back. "The chances of you coming back seem to lessen each time a day passes. Why did you leave, Riddick?"

_A/N: It is a fact that Kyra was sold and brutalized by Rykengolls. It also true that she killed one. There is no information that told how she was tortured and how she escaped. I just improvised all that happened. So please bear with me._


End file.
